


Protocol

by Rikkamaru



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: AU Where Bastion Woke Up Outside of Numbani, Alternate Universe, Gen, Post-Omnic Crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 08:02:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10213148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkamaru/pseuds/Rikkamaru
Summary: “It is a broken Bastion model,” Orisa confirmed, looking at the design of the robot before her and seeing the familiar gun design, the joints and plates that shifted together to form a turret if the omnic so desired. She looked around again, adding filters to her scanner, and then she could see them. Bastion models everywhere, rusting in the field, the grasses growing around them but unable to reclaim the land where they laid.She and Efi were standing in a graveyard of Bastions.





	

Orisa watched dutifully as a procession of people passed her, her hand still out stretched to ward off the cars that waited patiently for the citizens to finish crossing. Once the civilians had all crossed Orisa moved away, and watched with some semblance of pride as the cars all continued on their original path. "That was good," a young voice said, and Orisa turned to look at her creator.

"I believe that I am improving," she said, and wondered what emotion she felt as she took in the happy smile that Efi gave her. Was it more pride? Triumph? Bashfulness? While her capacity to learn was great, emotion was still a vague but complicated matter that she still struggled with. She shifted her lenses so that her open optics narrowed and formed an arrow facing up, an expression of happiness that she had stored in her library. Efi called it “smiling with her eyes”. "I am pleased that the people of Numbani are not perturbed by my presence."

"Numbani likes omnics as much as they like humans," Efi affirmed cheerfully, and Orisa did not point out the unlikelihood of such a scenario, did not offer quotes or sources from papers regarding the need to preserve one's own species that has been observed in both humans and omnics. Her creator was young in the human interpretation of years, and Orisa did not want to hurt her by making her aware of the cruelty of sentients as a whole.

Was that an example of compassion, or mercy? She filed the question away for later contemplation and nodded at Efi. "I am glad to hear that." 

"What do you wish to do now?" Efi asked as she looked around and Orisa did the same. There were no people wishing to cross the road and everything was relatively peaceful, noise levels high but not in the range in which a crime was most likely taking place.

She contemplated how to best spend her time, accessing various databases that were available to her via the internet. “I wish to explore beyond the perimeter of this city. We are surrounded by plains for quite some ways, and I wish to see how our defenses look from the outside.”

Efi grinned at her and motioned for her to lower on her legs, so that the young girl could jump onto her back. That performed, she chirped, “Sounds fun! Let’s see what’s out there for ourselves!”

Orisa began trotting to the edge of the city but felt concern rise up – the second emotion she’d ever successfully identified. “Will your parents not become concerned? I do not mind scouting on my own.”

Efi shook her head, Orisa’s sensors informed her, and moved to be better perched for the faster pace. “I don’t think they’ll mind, we haven’t had anything dangerous happen out in the plains since the Omnic Crisis. Plus, I’ll be with you, and you’ll keep me safe!”

And there rose the first emotion she’d ever felt – affection. Her lenses shifted into another “smile” and she agreed, “that I will.”

Eventually Orisa came to a halt, halfway between the forest and the city, and turned around. The city looked well-fortified from the outside, prepared to handle an army. Which made sense, the city had to deal with invasion from omnic forces during the Omnic Crisis, but it still relieved Orisa (another emotion that came easily to her, as it had followed swiftly behind her understanding of concern) to see that the fortifications still looked sturdy from the outside.

As she walked around Orisa paid no attention to where she was stepping, her original visual scan showing her nothing but plains, and so was startled when she brought down one of her hooves, only to have it land earlier than normal and the sound of metal striking metal echo around them. She lifted her hoof and looked down, feeling Efi do the same from her back.

“It’s a robot,” her creator said, surprised.

“It is a broken Bastion model,” Orisa confirmed, looking at the design of the robot before her and seeing the familiar gun design, the joints and plates that shifted together to form a turret if the omnic so desired. She looked around again, adding filters to her scanner, and then she could see them. Bastion models everywhere, rusting in the field, the grasses growing around them but unable to reclaim the land where they laid.

She and Efi were standing in a graveyard of Bastions.

It was then that her sensors alerted her to movement from within the forest, and Orisa acted in defense of her creator. She threw down a protective barrier and gently removed Efi from her back, depositing her behind the barrier. “Please stay here, there may be danger.” The girl nodded, not scared but a bit nervous, and Orisa checked her gun as she moved to stand beside the barrier in an attempt to draw attention away from it and the girl kept safe there.

It was a working Bastion that appeared from the trees, and Orisa felt her processor heat up as it tried to analysis this…surprise. It was covered in moss and other plant life, and – she magnified her lenses to better analyze it – had a small yellow bird perched on its shoulder. It looks as if it had only begun moving around recently, given how long the plants had to have been growing on it to remain rooted to its body.

The bastion cocked its head to the side in curiosity, and she lowered her gun, having found his stance to be non-aggressive and wishing to return the favor. She opened a short-ranged broadcast and hoped that it was a frequency compatible to the older omnic. _Hello_ , she sent out, and watched as it startled and sent back a sequence of chirps and whistles. It took her only a few seconds to analyze the pattern and decrypt it as the model’s form of speech, sending a simple _hello_ as well, followed by a query about her make and model. _OR15 defense robot, call-sign Orisa_ , she sent back, only to receive _??? Unknown model. Reference_ , and realized that he wasn’t around during the development or deployment of her model. _Upgrade of OR14 “Idina” models_.

_Noted_ , the Bastion acknowledged, before looking next to her. _Human identified in your vicinity. Threat?_

_Not a threat. Omnic Crisis resolved years ago, humans as collective no longer active adversaries_. She didn’t know how to put in so many words that she was actually _created_ by a human with a retained personality, and so said nothing on the matter.

The Bastion went silent for a moment, utterly still as the bird flapped around it. _How was the war resolved? Have omnics died for nothing?_

_No,_ she told it firmly. _Treaty was formed between the omnics and human, granting omnics the same rights as humans. Omnics did not die with no net gain made to the interactions between humans and omnics._

_Acknowledged_ , the Bastion replied, but it seem to do so out of habit rather than in response to this sudden influx of information.

_Will you follow us? Numbani can have you cleaned and repaired._

_Repairs are not necessary._ A blatant lie, she could see the battle damages on its frame but did not interject. _I do not wish to return to the world of the humans after all that has taken place,_ it told her, and while it was saddening to hear she believes she understands. Bastions were key figures in the Omnic Crisis, saw more of death and destruction and human cruelty than any other omnics, with only the OR14s seeing more of the last.

_Acknowledged_ , she said back, and hesitated for a brief moment before pushing on. _Should you need assistance, contact me along this frequency. I will arrive as swiftly as possible._

_Ackowledged._ The omnic turned and began to move back into the forest, and paused when it was almost out of sight. _Will you return?_

_If you wish for me to,_ she told it, and watched as it continued to move into the thick foliage, no doubt contemplating the amount that it “wished” to see her again, just as she herself had contemplated wishing to speak with it again.

With the Bastion out of sight Orisa turned to Efi and powered down her protective barrier. “I have analyzed the defenses as I had intended to do, Efi. Let us go home.”

Efi got onto her back. “I could tell you were talking to it,” she told Orisa, who said nothing as that was correct. “What did you talk about?”

“The Omnic Crisis, mostly,” she told the girl, taking care to step around the unrepairable Bastion frames. “He had been inert since a point within the war, given his level of knowledge.”

“Oh. He didn’t look hostile.”

“He was not, merely…curious from what I analyzed.”

“Do you think we’ll see him again?” 

Orisa paused at the question and analyzed the thoughts that appeared immediately after it was posed to her, analyzed her “emotions” and the things she wished to say. She finally settled on, “I hope so.”

Perhaps he could become her friend.


End file.
